oh this quilt

this summer, this quilt has been our companion as we breathe in life, healing, hope...as we let go and choose love...as we wave to the birds hopping around the yard.

i always want to remember that getting outside and leaning into the simple moments can change my perspective and open me up.

i always want to remember that i can just show up.

i always want to remember that things can be softer if i give them space.

i always want to remember that we live the life we choose...that i live the life i choose.

i always want to remember that this is much more than a quilt. 

brooklyn (part 1)

i just kept thinking about the cosby show . brooklyn, august 2011

the conversation started a few months ago after i saw a note on twitter that made me think, "i'm going to call that girl today." so i picked up the phone and dialed jen lee's number and within moments we were right into the good stuff. we shared stories and ideas and laughed and said "me too" and talked about the work we most want to be doing.

and then we talked some more and a plan began to form that sounded a bit like, "i think you might need to come to brooklyn this summer so you can work on this."

and i stood in my kitchen and the thoughts ran into each other and were filled with phrases like, "i could just get on a plane. by myself. and head across the country to new york city? i could make this choice for myself and my business and work with a friend on a new project just like that? i could ask jon to watch ellie jane during some of his last days of summer break while i do this?" 

the response to all these questions and the others that followed was always: yes. just like that. you can make that choice.

so that is how i found myself in brooklyn in the middle of august in the humidity and the rain and the i might be melting through my clothes but i am so living this dream into reality truths and the stories and the beauty and the moments of feeling deeply seen and the moments of standing inside what i most need to look at and sift through and notice.

good stuff. all of it. good stuff.

joy seeker (july)

as evening pulled on the afternoon sun, we shared a small bowl of blueberries tucked under the cherry tree in the backyard. you kept trying to give me a few of your blueberries and would laugh each time i said, "thank you. now here is one for you."

i always want to remember the moment when i noticed you were waving at the fence, and i looked up to see a house finch hopping from post to post. you were waving to that finch! and you had the biggest smile on your face as though you were greeting an old friend. i am in awe of the way you seem to intuitively understand that joy is the way.

*****

the series, "joy seeker," is one way that i plan to document the "joy" superhero power that ellie jane has. i hope to gather these glimpses here on the blog throughout the next year, and then around her second birthday, i will put them all together and have them printed in a small book. 

i stood tall

as the evening sun created a face-to-face meeting of one, i stood tall remembering that light can be found in the rootedness. 

joy seeker (june)

in this moment, you paused in the midst of your snack and looked up at the blue sky and took a breath. your big blue eyes taking in the birds flittering above us and the trees slightly swaying. we talked about how noticing the birds and the trees and the sky and feeling the breeze across our bodies was a way to just be right here sinking into the joy of being alive.

your superhero powers bloom more each day, and i am so glad one of them is that you are a seeker and bringer of joy. as we walk this part of your path together, i will take notes so we can both remember the beauty and joy that surrounds us.

*****

spending time with ali at the your story retreat has inspired me to think about how i can continue to gather words and photos together in more tangible ways. i recently created my first shutterfly book (more on that soon), and i love how simple (and rewarding) it is to pair photos and words together in this digital world. this series, "joy seeker," is going to be one way that i document the "joy" superhero power that ellie jane has. i hope to gather these glimpses here on the blog over the next year, and then around her second birthday, i will put them all together in a book.